Skye Rising: The Spirit Agreement

Skye Rising, cover art by Matthew Walker

Title: Skye Rising: The Spirit Agreement
Author: JJ Combes
Genre: Teen Fiction, YA Fiction, Sci-Fi
Publisher: JJ Combes
Publication Date: 2011
eBook: Kindle version available at Amazon; various versions at Smashwords

 Synopsis 

 Skye Rising is the first book by author JJ Combes. In this sci-fi, coming of age story, flawed protagonist and unlikely hero, Felix Skye, confronts not only the ins and outs of his teenage years, but also discovers that he is one of two unwitting warriors, long foretold in the mysterious Spirit Agreement, and his mission is to fight evil and save the world.

To quote JJ Combes in the Amazon book description,

"The world is changing….a mysterious relic is unearthed, bringing the rise of the two most powerful humans ever existed. One, the soldier of 'Death', evil personified and the dark leader of an organisation reeking terror across the world. The other, an unassuming boy, who wants nothing more than normality.

Felix Skye, your average teenage boy, has a destiny far greater than any human before him. Can he overcome the trials and tribulations of his teenage years to help save all he knows and loves.

Time is running out..."

The story is engaging and keeps readers curious as Felix moves through the many challenges that await him. Felix comes to terms with his unwanted powers and their consequences, makes some lifelong friends, and learns to become the Warrior that the world needs him to be to fight the soldier of Death. Through it all, he retains his unassuming demeanor and his sense of humor by keeping these "fantasical" events in perspective.

So - does Felix save the world? Does he learn to master his many powers? Does he save his loved ones and the Earth as well? All is revealed in Skye Rising: The Spirit Agreement. This is a very enjoyable read - and this reviewer looks forward to a sequel!

Comments 

While Skye Rising is an entertaining and enjoyable story that will appeal to teen readers - boys especially, it does have some minor editing distractions that savvy teachers and parents can use to bring about discussion of some basic grammatical tenets. These should in no way diminish the enjoyment of the story, but they can be used to spark short, on the fly lessons about proper word choice, punctuation and other light grammatical issues. As they read, challenge your students to become editors themselves, and find and discuss corrections for some very common grammatical issues.

Besides being an enjoyable chapter book for individual readers, Skye Rising would make a great read-aloud for the middle grades (yes, middle grade students love to be read to, too!) - and it would be a great book to dramatize in a Readers' Theater setting as well.

While a bit rough around the edges, Skye Rising is a soundly written story - so don't be distracted by the editing details. Instead, enjoy the story and use those as a vehicle for further lessons and learning for your reader!

About the Author

JJ Combes is a new writer on the eBook scene. He is "Cornish by birth, and a teacher at heart," according to his book dedication.

Book Source

I received a review copy of Skye Rising from JJ Combes for a fair and unbiased review. My copy was downloaded from Smashwords.

Copyright 2013 +Irene Taylor. Permission to republish in print or online must be granted by the author of this blog in writing.